Veggie Tempeh Chili

For those of you who don’t know, I haven’t eaten meat (unless it was accidentally, because that has happened…) since I was nine. I was a weird kid. I would always eat my vegetables first, and I would rather go to bed without dessert than eat my chicken. Being a vegetarian was a natural transition for me. I don’t give it much thought, because it is simply an intrinsic part of who I am. Being a vegetarian seems like a pretty common thing in today’s society, but just in case…here are the responses to questions that I get asked most if you were wondering:

“How do you find places to eat?” I have been to over 20 countries, and I have never had a problem maintaining my diet. I may not want to go to a BBQ restaurant with you, and I won’t pretend I am not a picky eater, (for reasons other than my vegetarianism) but I will find something to eat. Please don’t worry about me! (I hate going to other people’s houses and having people fuss over my diet. Literally, I will bring something for myself, don’t change a menu around for me PLEASE!

“Don’t you just want a hamburger?” I never ever crave meat. I think it smells good when it is cooking though…

“Are you a vegan?” I eat eggs/dairy. I don’t like the taste of eggs or milk, but I will eat them if they are in something. I am not a vegan (despite many failed attempts). Cheese is amazing. Sorry I’m not sorry.

If you care to know more, feel free to comment below or shoot me an email! The following recipe has got to be one of my personal favorite veggie recipes. I love southwestern inspired food, and this tempeh chili will put other veggie chilies to shame. I have had plenty of chilis that were a poor excuse for weird bean soup. My boyfriend–a meat-eater–loves this stuff and laps it up one bowl at a time. Its a great meal to make on a Sunday and reheat throughout the week as well!

You will need:

1 15oz can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can Black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 habanero pepper, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 32oz can crushed tomatoes (I like to use the fire roasted kind)

1 package of tempeh

7 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 handful of dark chocolate chips (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

I like to add shredded cheese, hot sauce and diced avocado on top. You can also add tortilla chips and Greek yogurt (or sour cream).

To cook:

Cut up the tempeh into bite size pieces. Saute in a little bit of olive oil for 5-7 minutes, until the tempeh browns. Set aside.

Chop up the onions and peppers and saute in a pot with oil until they start to brown, then add the garlic and corn and let cook for an additional few minutes.

Drain and rinse the beans, and then pour all of the remaining ingredients in to the pot with the veggies (including the tempeh and spices, but not the chocolate).

Stirring occasionally, let all the ingredients cook on low heat for at least twenty minutes. I personally feel that if you do this for an hour or so the flavors will meld much better.

Before your serve, add a handful of chocolate chips and stir well. This adds a totally subtle and awesome depth. This little step really takes this recipe up a notch. Plus you can be all secretive and refuse to tell anyone what that extra special something is.